Video: Traders warn Crawley market will die if left in High Street

Crawley council has been warned the town will lose its market if traders are not allowed to stay in Queens Square.

Stall holders were told on Friday (February 21) that today’s Wednesday market, held in the square, would be the last.

jpco-26-2-14 Crawley Market in High Street might close (Pic by Jon Rigby)

The market is also held in the High Street on Friday and Saturday but some traders said they could not break even because of the lack of shoppers in that area.

With some stall holders fearing they will go out of business, they have organised a petition calling on the council to move them permanently to Queens Square – and organisers have warned they may not be able to afford to run the market after March if nothing changes.

Steven White has traded from his fruit and veg stall for 13 years and his father, Chris, ran it for 20 years before that.

Describing himself as “nearly bankrupt”, Mr White said: “We can’t make a living over here because there is no passing trade.

“They gave us the Wednesday market as a lifeline and now they’ve taken it away. They need to listen to us before there’s no market at all.”